For those of you desperately interested in local issues (especially OP-RF-FP issues) a regular reader and commenter you know as Dan had an article today in the Forest Park Review.

The time to assess the need for a better, safer Desplaines Avenue entrance ramp for West bound 290 traffic is now. While housing development in Forest Park continues unabated (a good thing), the recent construction of new town home and condominium units near the Forest Park Blue Line stop off of Desplaines Avenue will contribute to the continuing traffic issues.

As a Forest Park resident who unfortunately requires the Desplaines Avenue entrance ramp to take 290 west to a job in the northwest suburbs, I engage in near-miss accidents attempting to access the ramp on a daily basis. I repeat, near-miss accidents on a daily basis.

I’ll quantify my complaint by stating that in my experience, the insanity of three flows of traffic being merged into one lane occurs during the morning’s rush hours between 7 and 9. In accessing the Desplaines Avenue entrance ramp one must contend with traffic coming from the south, attempting to make a quick left onto the entrance ramp, and often dangerously close to traffic coming from the north that is attempting to make a right turn onto the entrance ramp. In addition, there are those people who don’t have the patience to wait in the ever growing line of cars in the right lane on Desplaines Avenue waiting to take a right turn onto the entrance ramp. Instead, they drive in the left lane heading south, and then shoot into the right lane at the intersection for the Forest Park Blue Line CTA, cutting-off anyone who has left an opening for those turning into the Forest Park CTA parking lot and drop-off.

Potential and actual road rage incidents occur on a near daily basis as well, as cars jockey for position to be the first car at the traffic ramp light. This is compounded by two lanes of traffic coming from Desplaines Avenue, and a third coming from the CTA.

Add to the mix pedestrians who often take their lives in their hands every time they attempt to use the crosswalk (which I assume is there, as there doesn’t appear to be a brightly painted crosswalk in the pavement) to cross the entrance ramp to get to the Forest Park Blue Line CTA. I have witnessed a number of pedestrians crossing the entranceway to 290 in a lackadaisical way that is likely to lead to a tragic accident.

I implore the government of Forest Park to give serious study to the Desplaines entrance ramp to 290 west. I am not a traffic engineer, but the time to assess and propose a safer 290 west ramp is now.

Daniel Messick
Forest Park